Ms Calixto, a 46-year-old married mother-of-two who works in banking, had travelled from her home in Cuiaba, central Brazil, to undergo buttock enhancement by Dr Furtado on Saturday evening, reports said.

The procedure, believed to involve the injection of acrylic glass filler, took place at his apartment in the upmarket district of Barra de Tijuca.

The Hospital Barra D'Or in Rio de Janeiro said that, despite efforts to save her, Ms Calixto was "unresponsive to manoeuvres" and died early on Sunday morning. The exact reason for her death has not been confirmed.

Police said Dr Furtado's girlfriend was arrested on suspicion of taking part in the procedure.

The Regional Medical Council of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Cremerj) said it had opened an investigation into Ms Calixto's death.

Niveo Steffen, president of the Brazilian Plastic Surgery Society, said there was a "growing invasion of non-specialists" in the industry.

"Many people are selling a dream, a fantasy to patients in an unethical way and people, weakened, are often attracted to low prices, without considering whether or not the conditions are adequate," he said.